Speeches

It's great to be at the TIME Summit on Higher Education with such a distinguished group of leaders. All of you have thought long and hard about the future of higher education. And I'll try to be brief before we turn to the panel discussion.

Three weeks ago, we began a cross-country bus tour in California to visit schools, meet with educators and students, get feedback and listen, and generally take the pulse of people after nearly four years in office.

One of the most extraordinary opportunities in my job is that I get to visit hallowed ground. I get to stand in the footsteps of giants who fought and won battles for equal educational opportunity. And so it is today.

I'm not sure what I've done to deserve such a glowing introduction. But I have a hunch that Rahm will let me know in a few minutes. He said something about wanting to have, quote, "a frank exchange of views."

I want to thank the Chairman, the Ranking Member, and other Members of this Subcommittee for your support. Over the past three years, we've protected students at risk while investing in education reform that supports bold and courageous leadership at the both state and local level.